Up Close & Personal with Kayla Blevins

Banner Elk, NC--As we continue our Up Close series we meet up
with junior guard Kayla Blevins. Blevins comes to Banner Elk from
nearby Roan Mountain, TN where she played at Cloudland High
School.

1. What made you decide to come to Lees-McRae?
The reason I chose LMC is the fact that my family is only 30
minutes away, and I love the atmosphere here at this school.

2. How long have you been playing basketball?
I have played basketball for eight years. I began in seventh grade
and have done so ever since.

3. What are your personal goals for this
season? My personal goal for this season is to contribute
assists and rebounds to my team.

4. What's your favorite basketball memory here at
Lees-McRae so far? Meeting and developing close
friendships with all of my teammates is an ongoing memory for
me.

5. Who has been the most influential person on your
athletic career? I would have to say the most
influential person to my athletic career is my very first
basketball coach, Mike Lunsford. He pushed me above and beyond what
I thought I could ever accomplish.

6. If you weren't playing basketball, what other sport
would you play? I would definitely be playing
softball.

7. What is your major and what do you plan to do with
your degree? I am majoring in Criminal Justice with a
minor in Biology and Foreign Languages. With these degrees I plan
to enter into the military and do investigative work for them.
After I have finished with the military I plan to go into Law
Enforcement.

8. If you could travel back in time to any point in
history, where would you go? I am such an enormous
history buff , specifically wars interest me, so I would love to go
back to any major war in history.

9. What is your favorite book? I love any book
by the authors Laurell K. Hamilton or Kristen Britain.

10. What is your favorite food? My favorite
food is any fruit and Italian.

11. If you could visit any place in the world, where
would it be? That is a hard one. I want to travel the
world so I cannot choose just one specific place. Well, right now I
want to go to Okinawa, Japan.

12. What is one word that describes you and
why? Passionate...in every aspect of my life I give a
110%. Everything I do is full of passion and with that I never
give up or give in.

Kayla's Story … I am from a small town
called Roan Mountain, TN. In this town everyone knows everyone (and
you're most likely related somehow). My family is very southern and
country. You either played an instrument or dribbled a ball in my
family. Seeing as how I am not very musically inclined I play
sports. I began taking karate in second grade and did that till I
was in seventh grade.

Once in seventh grade I was pestered by the basketball coach,
Mike Lunsford, into joining the basketball team. I could not even
do a layup but he worked with me, and eventually I was starting for
my team. He made me develop the never-give-up or give-in attitude
that I have now.

By my senior year of high school I was being recruited by
numerous colleges for softball and basketball. I remember my senior
year I had said I wasn't ever going to LMC because it was too close
to home. But once the coach began talking to me and I visited the
campus, I was drawn to this place. You all know how the story ends.
I chose to attend LMC and play basketball here.